Counter-current separations

Development and state of the art of counter-current separation, in particular for liquids, with supercritical fluids, is reviewed, covering principles, early development, actual and possible applications, and counter-current separation as published in the Journal of Supercritical Fluids. A description of processes (continuous counter-current flow, mixer-settler principle, the role of co-solvents), necessary fundamentals, design procedure (including gas cycles), a summary of the methodical knowledge, and cost calculation are covered. A discussion and a comparison to competitive processes and an outlook on future perspectives conclude the review.